Trainer Ismael Salas says Anthony Joshua will lose his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk on August 20th if he doesn’t listen to his new coach Robert Garcia before & during the contest.
Ismael has worked with Robert Garcia in the past, and he knows that he’s an excellent trainer. Years ago, Garcia helped the career of Marcos Maidana and made improvements to the hard-hitting Argentinian fighter.
Salas points out that big-name fighters, often fail to follow the instructions from their coaches because they prefer to have someone that pleases them.
He says that if Joshua is willing to follow Robert’s advice, he’s got a chance of beating the unified heavyweight champion Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs).
Unfortunately, it might not matter whether Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) follows Robert Garcia’s instructions to the letter because without a solid chin and stamina fix, he’s going to run into trouble against Usyk.
Unless Robert can make huge improvements in Joshua’s fragile glass chin and terrible stamina, he could fall apart against Usyk in their rematch on August 20th in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
“I’ve known Robert [Garcia] since he was a junior, and he used to be a good fighter. As a trainer, he showed to me that he’s accomplished,” said Ismael Salas to SecondsOut.
“The best example was [Marcos] Maidana. Maidana before Robert Garcia, Maidana was nothing. After Robert Garcia came to Maidana, he changed Maidana. As long as AJ can come to the way of Robert Garcia halfway, then Robert Garcia can do something with AJ.
“Sometimes when you have a big name fighter, it’s complicated. When you have a big-name fighter and you have one trainer, who tells you that you have to do something, the big-name fighter says, ‘No.’
“He needs people who please the mind. So if he behaves as a fighter, I believe Robert Garcia will bring him to the next level,” Salas said about Joshua.
“If you have any good trainer, no matter who, he’s a good trainer,” said Salas when asked if it matters that Robert Garcia has never worked with a big heavyweight like Joshua before.
“It’s like I say. If he [Joshua] follows Robert, he has a good chance to win. But if he doesn’t follow Robert, he will lose. I believe the chance he has to beat Usyk is to be more determined in the fight.
“Of course, Usyk is a very good fighter, but very small. He [Joshua] is a big fighter, and they have a saying in boxing. When you have two good fighters, the bigger one should win.
“If the smaller guy wins, it’s because he has more determination,” said Salas leaving out the importance of having a good chin and cardio, which is also crucial,” said Salas.
